Court rules Arkansas can't ban gender-affirming treatment for transgender youth

Arkansas attempted to pass legislation that targeted transgender children by blocking their access to gender-affirming treatments.

According to the three-judge panel at the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, however, Arkansas was shut down.

A trial is scheduled for October, but for now, there's a stay on the law taking effect pending the trial.

“Because the minor’s sex at birth determines whether or not the minor can receive certain types of medical care under the law, Act 626 discriminates on the basis of sex,” the court said Thursday.

It's a momentary win for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which brought the case

“The Eighth Circuit was abundantly clear that the state’s ban on care does not advance any important governmental interest and the state’s defense of the law is lacking in legal or evidentiary support,” said deputy director of LGBTQ Justice Chase Strangio. “The state has no business categorically singling out this care for prohibition.”

You can read a full report at the Associated Press and The Guardian.